In the end of the Middle Ages and during the Early
Modern period (16th-18th centuries) a series of practitioners experimented with
the properties of matter. Alchemists, iatrochemists (future chemists) and
pharmacists used the same procedures and the same laboratory equipment, but to different
ends: to turn common metals into gold and to create the Philosophers’ Stone, to
synthesize chemical substances and to prepare medicine. In the second half of
the 17th century and first half of the 18th century, pharmacy increasingly
adopted chemical ingredients against organic ones, largely borrowing the
language, tools and symbols of iatrochemistry.
The caduceus, a staff with one or two
snakes coiled on it, was the symbol of both pharmacy and alchemy. The staff of
god Asklepios/Aesculap, associated with medicine and healing, had a single
coiled snake, while the staff of Hermes/Mercury, the messenger of the gods,
associated to commerce and negotiations, often had wings and two coiled snakes.
In alchemy the caduceus was a symbol of primary matter, of chaos, balanced by
the two snakes coiled in opposite directions, while Hermes became the patron of
alchemy as well.
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| Alchemical caduceus depicted during the 18th century as symbol of pharmacy inside the History of Pharmacy Collection in Cluj |
Alchemical-like names were also employed
as product branding strategy, in order to increase sales. Thus, a series of
popular apothecary products reminded one of the name of the famous Elixir of
Life. Thus, the Elixir of Health for example, a brandy drink containing
aniseed, raisin, saffron, and other ingredients, was sold as tonic and
cure-all.
Read also about the Visceral Elixir HERE.
Learn more by visiting the Pharmacy and Alchemy exhibition that opens on July 3rd 2017 at the History of Pharmacy Collection in Cluj-Napoca!
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